The Comedy Network is producing an in-house pilot for an improvisational acting series hosted by the Devil’s Advocates – the infamous pair of comedians who don devilish costumes and share their sarcastic banter on Citytv’s Speakers Corner. The show is the first to be shot at ctv’s newly owned (July 1) building, the Masonic Temple in Toronto, which will be used as a studio.

Shot on July 3, the half-hour series Improv Heaven and Hell is intended to be a showcase of Canada’s improv talent, much in the way other programs highlight stand-up and sketch comedians, says associate producer Brent Haynes, who collaborated with producer Brad Birch and the Devils (Andrew Currie and Albert Howell) to develop the show.

The Devils, clad in brightly colored gothic garb and smoking cigars, sit on throne chairs above the improv actors, like smug kings residing over their court. The king’s jesters – the improv actors – wait to be told what parts to play and how they can amuse their masters. The Devils encourage the king’s court of onlookers – a live studio audience – to shout out amusing dialogue for the actors and set up comic scenes.

Audiences are brought up an old elevator shaft to a medieval chamber room reminiscent of a scene from King Arthur’s court. Huge wood chairs lined with red velvet are built into the paneled walls laden with gothic designs.

Programming vp Ed Robinson says the network put the word out a year ago that it was interested in commissioning a Canadian improv show. Comedy currently broadcasts the British improv series Whose Line Is It Anyway?, which has a strong audience following, says Robinson.

While numerous proposals were submitted from independent producers, the costs of the projects were too steep to be feasible for the specialty channel’s budget.

Using the ctv studio, crews and an in-house production team, the budget of each half-hour episode is a trim $15,000, says Robinson.

While hosting an improv show for the Toronto Comedy Festival, Currie and Howell, both Second City alumni and improv performers, met the Comedy producers and began discussing a potential tv series.

‘Canadian improv talent is a vastly ignored talent pool,’ says Currie, noting that many of Canada’s leading comedians, including Jim Carrey, got their start in improv.

Capturing the spontaneous and live elements of improv for television is a difficult task, says Birch. A high-angle camera was used to pick up audience interaction with the improv players. Close-ups of the actors would compromise the reaction of the audience, says Birch, so wide shots were used and a high-angle camera captured moments of audience interaction in the theater game.

A decision on greenlighting the series will be made by Comedy execs over the next week. Robinson says if the program goes ahead he would like to produce more than 40 episodes and place the improv show in a primetime weekend slot.